Method of fabricating a bearing device

ABSTRACT

The method of fabricating a bearing device comprising a housing having an opening therethrough, a ball-shaped swivel member positioned within the opening and spaced from the surface of the housing which defines the opening, and a raceway of solidified bearing material in the space between the swivel member and housing, the raceway having a swiveling clearance with and retaining said swivel member in the housing, the inner surface of the raceway being shaped to correspond to a part of an elongated sphere. In the fabrication of this bearing device, the swivel member is reciprocated relative to the housing during the hardening of liquified bearing material injected into the space between the swivel member and housing. The apparatus which accomplishes this method includes relatively moveable members which engage, respectively, the housing and the swivel member, these mold members providing the relative reciprocatory movement.

United States Patent [72] Inventors Gilbert E. Davies;

Robert J. Loubier; John M. Weston; Robert A. Muhn, all of Fort Wayne, Ind. [21] Appl. No. 1,733 [22] Filed Jan. 9, 1970 [45] Patented Dec. 28, 1971 [73] Assignee Tuthill Pump Company Chicago, Ill.

[54] METHOD OF FABRICATING A BEARING DEVICE 13 Claims, 9 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl 29/1495 B, 29/441 [51] Int. Cl B23p 11/00 [50] Field of Search 29/1495 B, 149.5 R, 149.5 NM, 441; 308/72 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,476,728 7/1949 l-leim 29/1495 B Primary Examiner-Thomas H. Eager AltorneyHood, Gust, Irish & Lundy ABSTRACT: The method of fabricating a bearing device comprising a housing having an opening therethrough, a ballshaped swivel member positioned within the opening and spaced from the surface of the housing which defines the opening, and a raceway of solidified bearing material in the space between the swivel member and housing, the raceway having a swiveling clearance with and retaining said swivel member in the housing, the inner surface of the raceway being shaped to correspond to a part of an elongated sphere. in the fabrication of this bearing device, the swivel member is reciprocated relative to the housing during the hardening of liquified bearing material injected into the space between the swivel member and housing. The apparatus which accomplishes this method includes relatively moveable members which engage, respectively, the housing and the swivel member, these mold members providing the relative reciprocatory movement.

METHOD OF FABRICATING A BEARING DEVICE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION l. Field of the Invention This invention relates generally to a bearing assembly which includes a ball-shaped swivel member retained for swiveling movement in a housing by means of a raceway of bearing material, and more particularly, to such a bearing assembly in which the raceway in its fabricated form has a positive swiveling clearance with the swivel member, to a method in which the housing and swivel member are reciprocable relative to each other in order to produce the positive clearance between the swivel member and the raceway, and to an apparatus used in molding of the raceway whereby the swivel member and housing are moved relative to each other during hardening of liquified bearing material injected into the space provided for the raceway.

2. Description of the Prior Art In the manufacture of such a bearing assembly, it is necessary that the swivel member be freely swivelable universally within the housing with a minimum degree of looseness. It is also desirable that the raceway of bearing material separating the swivel member from the housing be secured to the latter against movement.

In the past, certain plastic bearing materials such as polyamides and polycarbonates have been used in the formation of the raceway, but the finished bearing assembly has not been altogether satisfactory because of excessive tightness of the swivel member in the raceway and looseness of the raceway in the housing. One method employed for molding the raceway has been to use a thermoplastic or thermosetting plastic material injected into intimate engagement with the swivel member and hardened in this intimately engaged condition through the use of strictly controlled, relatively low pressures which tend to preclude shrinkage of the plastic onto the swivel member which otherwise would lock the swivel member against movement. This technique has not been satisfactory as it imposes stringent process controls which result in higher costs because of the inability of the process to produce close piece-to-piece uniformity.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the broader aspects of this invention, there is provided a method of fabricating a bearing assembly comprising a housing and a ball-shaped swivel member, in which the swivel member is positioned within an opening in the housing so as to provide a space surrounding the swivel member. The liquefied hardenable bearing material is then injected into the space and becomes engaged with both the housing and the swivel member. The swivel member and housing are continuously moved relative to each other in a direction that alters the shape of the space until the liquefied bearing material hardens. The characteristics of this continuous relative movement is such that it results in free omnidirectional movement of the swivel member without excessive play.

More specifically, the swivel member is reciprocated rela tive to the housing in a direction parallel to the axis of the opening whereby the raceway will have the diameter of the swivel member taken in a plane normal to the axis but as to its dimension at right angles thereto, it will be slightly longer than the swivel member thereby providing for proper swiveling clearance.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improved method for making a bearing assembly of the character set forth in which an operating clearance between a housing and swivel member may be accurately and reliably achieved.

It is another object of this invention to provide a method for molding a raceway of liquefied bearing material into such a bearing assembly in a manner that provides a swivel clearance between the swivel member and the raceway without excessive'looseness.

It is another object of this invention to provide a method for making such a bearing assembly in a facile, economical and efficient manner.

The above-mentioned and other features and objects of this invention and the manner of attaining them will become more apparent and the invention itself will be best understood by reference to the following description of an embodiment of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

IN THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a side elevation of the housing part of one embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary axial section thereof;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the completed assembly partially sectioned for clarity of illustration;

FIG. 4 is an axial sectional view of the embodiment of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a side view, partially sectioned along the section line 5-5 of FIG. 7, of an apparatus used in fabricating the bearing assembly of this invention;

FIG. 6 is an enlargement in cross section of a part of the arrangement of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the lower mold section of the apparatus of FIG. 5 with two bearing housings positioned therein;

FIG. 8 is a cross section of lower mold plate of FIG. 7 taken substantially along section line 8-8 thereof; and

FIG. 9 is a side view in longitudinal section of motionproducing apparatus whereby the apparatus of FIG. 5 is operated.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Referring to the drawings and more particularly to FIGS. 1 through 4, an embodiment of this invention is in the fonn of a rod end in which a support member or housing generally indicated by the numeral I0 has an enlarged, annular flat head 12 and a laterally extending shank 14 provided in the usual instance with a threaded bore 17 (FIG. 4). A swivel member, and in this instance a ball-shaped bearing member or ball 16, is positioned within an opening 18 in the head 12. As shown more clearly in FIG. 2, the opening 18 may be part spherical as indicated by the numeral 19 generally conforming to the curvature of the ball 16 and is provided midway between the surfaces 24 with an annular coaxial recess 20. The end portions of the opening I8 at 22 which extend from the part spherical curvatures l9 outwardly to the surfaces 24 are cylindrically shaped and of equal diameter. The two surfaces 24 are flat and parallel, lying in planes nonnal to the axis 26 of the opening 18. The parts 19, 20 and 22 of the opening 18 are coaxial about the axis 26.

The ball 16 in this rod end is of conventional design having a coaxial bore 28 adapted to receive a mounting stud or the like (not shown) and furthermore has flat parallel surfaces defining opposite sides 30 which, when the ball I6 is centered in the head 12 as shown in FIG. 4, lie in parallel planes positioned outwardly from and parallel to the head surfaces 24 as shown.

The ball 16 in the design shown conforms generally to the curvatures 19 of the opening 18 (FIG. 2) but is of smaller diameter so as to provide a ringlike clearance or space therebetween defined at the outer periphery by the parts 19, 20 and 22. This space is occupied by a raceway 32 (FIGS. 3-4) of bearing material secured in the head I2 by means of the annular groove 20 and two trunnionlike appendages 35 which fill diametrically opposite openings 33 in the head 12 as shown in FIG. 3. With the raceway 32 properly formed, the ball 16 will swivel freely and be securely mounted in the housing I0.

Referring more particularly to FIG. 5 through 9, the apparatus utilized in making the bearing assembly of FIGS. 3 and 4 will be described. In general, the apparatus performs the operation of molding the raceway 32 in such a manner that proper operating clearance for free swiveling movement of ball 16 is provided without any additional operations being required after molding. The molding apparatus generally comprises two mold section, an upper section 34 and a lower sec tion 36. The lower section 36 may be considered as stationary and the upper section 34 as moveable vertically for opening and closing the mold. Specifically, the upper mold section 34 is adapted to be mounted in a conventional injection molding machine by being attached to the moveable platen of the machine whereby it can be raised and lowered relative to the stationary mold section 36, which is attached to the stationary platen. These mold sections 34 and 36 have parting surfaces 38 and 40, respectively, and when closed, define a cavity 42 corresponding to the shape of the housing 10 as shown in FIG. I, a part of the cavity indicated by the numeral 44 (see FIGS. and 6) being formed in the upper section 34 and an opposite part 46 being provided in the lower section 36. In the enlargement of FIG. 6, it will be apparent that cavity portion 46 is larger than portion 44. While the cavity portion 46 conforms to the external contour of the housing 10, short cylindrical wall sections 48 are formed with some clearance with respect to the housing so as to permit the latter being inserted into and removed from the cavity portion 46.

The lower mold section 36 is rigidly mounted on the stationary lower platen of the machine. An ejector plate assembly 50 is vertically moveable relative to mold section 36, being guided with respect thereto by return springs 52 and pins 56, there being four such pins and spring assemblies located near the corners of the assembly which is substantially rectangular as shown in FIG. 7. The spring 52 is compressed between the upper surface of the plate 50 and the base of a socket 54 in the mold section 36 whereby the latter is yieldably urged upwardly relative to the plate 50. To serve as a guide, the pin 56 having a head 58 locked into the plate assembly 50 extends upwardly through the spring 52 and is slidably received in a bore 60, as shown.

There are two mold cavities provided in the apparatus, these being indicated by the numeral 42 in FIG. 7. A sprue passage 62 of T-shape is formed into the two parting surfaces 38 and 40 and are provided with tunnel gates 64 which connect with cavity portion 46 as shown more clearly in FIG. 6. Exhaust runners 66 are also provided in the parting surfaces 38 and 40 and extend from the side of said cavity portion 46 diametrically opposite from the gate 64 and opens to atmosphere.

Mounted on the ejector plate assembly 50 and extending upwardly therefrom is a runner ejector pin 68 slidably received by a passage 70 in the mold section 36.

Both the mold sections 34 and 36 are provided with vertically aligned cylindrical bores 72 and 74, respectively, which are of equal diameter. Two cylindrical mold inserts 76 and 78 are received, respectively, by the bores 72 and 74 for reciprocation therein. The insert 76 has a head 79 of enlarged diameter, this head being reciprocably received by a socket 80 of complementary shape in the mold section 34. Similarly, the insert 78 has an enlarged diameter head 81 which is reciprocably received by a cylindrical socket 82 for vertical guiding movement in the lower mold section 36. This enlarged head 81 is spaced above a cylindrical supporting pedestal 83 on plate assembly 50 by means of a compression spring 84. The pedestal 83 coaxially receives for reciprocal sliding movement a headed pin 86, as shown, which is threaded coaxially to the insert 78, as shown. The upper end of the pedestal 83 is provided with an upstanding tubular portion 88 received in a companion socket 90 in the enlarged head 81 to guide the latter and the insert 78 for truly vertical movement relative to both the pedestal and the lower mold section 36. The guide pin 86 obviously moves with the insert 78.

The facing surfaces of the two inserts 76 and 78, as best shown in FIG. 6, are spherically concave at 92 and 94, respectively, to conform precisely to the curved exterior of the ball 16, as shown. Both inserts 76 and 78 are also provided with vertically aligned coaxial bores 96 and 98 of substantially equal diameter which receive therein when closed the opposite ends, respectively, of a guide pin 100. This guide pin 100 is press-fttted and thereby secured to the insert 78 and is slidably fitted to the insert 76 by reason of a slight clearance with the bore 96.

As is shown more clearly in FIG. 5, the heads 79 of the two inserts 76 protrude above the mold section 34. It should also be noted that there is a clearance between each head 79 and the bottom of its socket 80.

Loading of the apparatus preparatory to a molding operation will now be explained. First, the injection molding machine in which the apparatus is mounted is operated to lift the upper mold section 34 several inches above the upper surface 40 of the lower section 36, the inserts 76 being carried upwardly therewith leaving exposed the upstanding guide pin 100 centered in the lower cavity portion 46 (see FIG. 6).

Two housings 10 are placed in the cavity portions 46 as shown more clearly in FIGS. 6 and 7. Two gate passages 33 on opposite sides of the head 12 are positioned to communicate with the gate 64 and the exhaust runners 66. A ball 16 is fitted over the guide pin I00 to nest in the socket 94 which fits precisely the curved contour of the ball 16 as shown.

The upper mold section 34 is lowered into operative engagement with the lower section 36 whereby the concave surface 92 of the insert 76 will precisely sealingly engage the ball 16 exterior and the upper end of the pin 100 will enter the guide bore 96. Considering FIGS. 5 and 6, application of downward force to the head 79 will result in application of this same force to the ball 16 and the insert 78. By using an adequate force, the insert 76, ball 16 and insert 78 may be moved downwardly in unison against the upward force of the spring 84. By relaxing this downward force, the spring 84 will move the insert with the baLl l6 clamped therebetween upwardly. By controlling the downward force applied to the insert 76 and selecting a proper spring 84, the two inserts 76 and 78 with the ball 16 clamped therebetween can be made to reciprocate vertically uniformly over a predetermined distance.

Plastic bearing material injected into the sprue 62, under normal high injection pressures, typically from 10,000 to 25,000 pounds per square inch, flows through the gate 64, the respective passage 33 and into the annular space between the ball 16 and the inner surface of the opening 18. Once the annular space, denoted by the numeral 102, is completely filled with plastic, the excess will flow out of the opposite passage 33 and the exhaust runners 66. After the bearing material hardens, the upper mold section 34 is lifted from the lower section 36 and the bearing assembly of the ball 16 and the housing 10 is removed from the apparatus. The ball 16 is retained in the housing 10 by means of the plastic liner or raceway 32 that fills the space 102.

As viewed in FIGS. 5 and 6, the cavity portions 44 and 46 have opposed surfaces which conform to and sealingly engage the opposite surfaces 24, respectively, of the housing 10, as shown. Each of these cavity portions 44 and 46 have internal diameters defined by the bores 72 and 74, respectively, which are substantially smaller than the maximum diameter of the opening 18 and slightly smaller than the diameter of the ball 16. Ideally, the perimeters of the sealingly engaged surfaces 92 and 94, respectively, should be in the form of a knife edge; however, in order to maximize wearlife of the apparatus, a small flat annular surface or edge 104 joins the periphery of the surfaces 92 and 94 with the periphery of the inserts 76 and 78. The radial flat of this small edge I04 needs to be no more than 0.005 of an inch. As shown in FIG. 6, each edge I04 lies in a flat plane coextensive with the plane of the respective surface 24, when the apparatus is closed.

With the mold apparatus closed, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, and the housing 10 and ball 16 in place, the cavity 102 will be bounded on one side by the surface of the ball 16 and on the outside by the inner housing surface 18. The opposite ends of the cavity 102 will be defined by the respective flat surfaces of the cavity portions 44 and 46 as well as the edges 104 of the two inserts 76 and 78. These inserts sealingly engage at the surfaces 92 and 94 the ball 16 so as to prevent leakage of liquefied bearing material injected into the cavity 102, The cavity 102 is thereby defined as being annular and having opposite ends closed by the opposed walls of the cavity portions 44, 46, respectively.

The size relationship between the diameters of the bores 72, 74, the ball 16 and the opening 18 are so related that the ends of the annular space 102 are closed more by the cavity portions 44 and 46 than by the inserts 76 and 78. This is an important feature in obtaining the beneficial results of this invention as explained later.

In theory, considering for the moment that the cavity 102 (FIG. 6) is filled with liquid plastic such as polyamide, polycarbonate, urethane, polyethylene, or a suitable liquefiable metallic bearing material, vertical reciprocation of the ball 16 in the embrace of the two mold inserts 76 and 78 is not attended with similar movement of the liquefied bearing material. One of the objectives of the diametral relationship of the various parts, as explained, is to confine the liquefied bearing material in position in the cavity 102 thereby to permit movement of the ball 16 relative thereto. This results in the ball 16 enlarging the bearing cavity contiguous with the ball surface as the liquefied bearing material then hardens. The result is that the hardened bearing material intimately engages and is thereby secured to the surface of the opening 18 and an inner bearing surface of the raceway is formed which conforms substantially to the shape of the ball 16 surface with the exception that the midportion thereof tends to be of cylindrical shape thereby resulting in the inner surface resembling a sphere that has been microscopically elongated, thereby providing a desired clearance with the ball. This may be explained further by considering the ball 16 in FIG. 6 to be reciprocated over an excursion of about 0.030 inches during the period required for the bearing material to harden. Once the bearing material has hardened and the reciprocation terminated, the ball-engaging surface of the bearing material will be slightly elongated but will have an inner diameter in a plane midway between the two surfaces 24 normal to the axis of the opening 18 substantially coextensive with the outer diameter of the ball 16.

It is important that the cavity 102 which forms the raceway 32 be of sufficient volume and radial depth. If the volume and depth are too small, the raceway 32 in the finished product tends to be too tight on the ball 16. By making it adequately large, in accordance with the specific example given hereinafter, the ball 16 can be reciprocated relative to the mass of plastic in order to achieve the swiveling clearance desired. Thus, the presence, the size and the shape of the groove or recess 20 are important design aspects of this invention.

In the finished rod end, the raceway 32 is prevented from being rotated or otherwise accidentally removed from the housing by virtue of the annular rib formed by the groove (FIG. 2) and also the trunnionlike shafts 35 formed by the filling of passage 33 with bearing material (FIG. 3).

When the molding operation is completed, lifting of the mold section 34 ofi' the lower section 36 results in some upward movement of the mold insert 78 under the influence of the spring 84. This severs the gate at the surface of the housing 10 thereby leaving the trunnions 35 as integrated parts of the rod end. Elevation of the ejector plate assembly 50 lifts pins 56 thereby unseating the sprues.

In the molding of the raceway 32, it is important that the cavity 102 (FIG. 6) completely fill. This is assured by providing the exhaust runner 66 such that a slight amount of overflow insures filling of the cavity 102.

In FIG. 9 is illustrated the mold apparatus just described in combination with an actuating mechanism for reciprocating the inserts 78. This mechanism includes a simple lever 106 pivoted at 108 to a member fixed with respect to the mold section 34 having portions on opposite sides of the pivot 108 engageable at 110 and 112 with the two inserts 78, respectively. The outer end 110 of the lever 106 is provided with furcations 111 and 113 which engageably straddle eccentrically mounted wheel 112 which rotates about a center 114. As the eccentric 112 rotates, the lever 110 will be reciprocated vertically thereby causing a corresponding movement of the portions 110 and 112 of the lever. As one mold insert is being forced downwardly, the other one rises under the force of the respective springs 84.

With a diameter of about 0.740 inches for the recess 20 in the head 12, a diameter of 0.630 inches for the parts 22, a ball diameter of 0.625 inches, a dimension of eleven thirty-seconds inches between the two flat surfaces 24, a width of 0.156 inches for recess 20, a diameter of 0.554 inches for the bores 72 and 74, and a plastic bearing material of glass reinforced nylon, it has been found that a stroke of 0.030 inches at a rate of 1,700 cycles per minute'provides free swiveling movement of the ball 16 in the plastic raceway 32 without any undue looseness. If a greater or lesser degree of swiveling freedom is desired, the length of the excursion may be correspondingly altered, increasing the excursion producing greater freedom of movement.

For the typical parameters just given, eccentric 112 is rotated at about 1,700 rpm. thereby reciprocating the inserts 78 at a corresponding rate. The plastic injected into the cavity during the operation is at relatively high pressure, from about 10,000 to 25,000 pounds per square inch. Reciprocatory movement of the inserts and the ball 16 is started prior to the injection of the liquid plastic into the cavity 102 and continued until after the plastic is hardened.

A plastic bearing material found to be operable is glass reinforced nylon containing in parts by weight 40 parts fiber glass of about one-eighth to one-fourth fiber length, parts nylon and 5 parts molydisulphide. Other compositions for bearing material, both plastic and metal, may be used without departing from the basic concepts of this invention.

This rod end removed from the molding apparatus needs no further operations in assuring proper swiveling clearance for the ball.

Upon hardening, it is theorized that the plastic has some memory and will shrink toward the ball 16 thereby tending to assume the shape of the ball. By controlling the size of the reciprocatory excursion, the actual finished clearance between the ball 16 and the bearing raceway 32 can be controlled.

The concepts of this invention allow production of rod-end bearing assemblies such as shown and described in which the ball 16 will neither be too loose nor too tight in its raceway of bearing material. It has been found that the rate of vibration, the length of the vibratory excursion and other manufacturing steps including the smoothness of the ball 16, can be varied for obtaining desired swivel freedom in the finished product. For example, the pressure and temperature at the moment of injection are not found to be critical. Thus, losses due to imperfectly formed assemblies are minimal thereby leading to high production efficiencies and corresponding lower costs.

In the finished product, the ball 16 is found to have a relatively large swing angle and substantial strength against dislodgement from the raceway 32. The raceway 32 itself is formed of bearing material having a maximum degree of lubricity as compared with the housing that contains it. The thickness of the head 12 as viewed in FIG. 2 can be made substantial thereby providing a maximum amount of strength in the housing itself. The housing need not be deformed or altered after the molding operation to assure proper retention and operating clearance for the ball.

In summary, the vibration of the ball 16 may be started at the moment the mold section 34 and 36 are closed and before injection of the liquid bearing material. This vibration is continued until the bearing material has solidified and just before the mold sections are opened.

While tunnel gates 64 (FIGS. 5 and 6) are disclosed, it will appear as obvious to persons skilled in the art that these may be omitted and the mold cavities 44 and 46 so formed that one-half is in each of the mold sections 34 and 36. Thus, the

sprue 62 would communicate directly with the passages 33 in the housing 10. The tunnel gates 64, however, in this invention are preferred.

It will be obvious to persons skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to rod ends, but instead relates to bearing assemblies generally wherein a swivel member such as the ball 16 is mounted for universal swiveling movement in a retaining frame or housing. Also, it is not necessary that the housing in which the ball is mounted have a socket which opens through both sides thereof. Instead, the socket may be closed at one end, as is true for conventional ball and socket assemblies, and the ball reciprocated in a straight line between the open and closed ends of the socket to provide the necessary swiveling clearance after the injection of liquefied bearing material in the clearance between the ball and socket. The ball may also be solid, that is, not be provided with an internal bore as is true of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 through 4, and furthermore can be detachably or integrally connected to a stud of the type conventional in ball and socket assemblies.

While FIGS. 1 through 4 disclose the trunnionlike passages 33 as being diametrically opposite each other, they may be located differently so long as one of them serves as an overflow to assure that the cavity 102 fills completely.

Inasmuch as the housing itself serves as part of the mold and the mold sections 34 and 36 serve as another part, the particular shape of the housing 10 which partially forms the cavity can be drastically altered, relying on the cavities in the mold sections 34 and 36 exclusively to complete the shape of the raceway. For example, the housing 10 as viewed in FIG. 6 could be thinner between the two faces 24 thereof than shown, and even be sheet metal one-eighth inch thick, such that injected plastic would fill the spaces between these narrower surfaces 24 and the cavity surfaces 44 and 46. In this instance, the plastic would essentially embrace the housing 10, or more specifically, the head 12 thereof. Suitable cutouts or other holding devices would have to be provided in the mold sections 34 and 36 to embrace a peripheral portion of the sheet metal housing and thereby position the latter in place during molding.

In one embodiment of this invention, the balls 16 are tumbled to provide a smooth finish and then chromium plated. In still other instances, the balls 16 may be dipped in a suitable lubricant before the molding operation. Both the provision of a smooth surface and lubricant affect the swiveling freedom of the ball in the finished product.

While there have been described above the principles of this invention in connection with specific apparatus, it is to be clearly understood that this description is made only by way of example and not as a limitation to the scope of the invention.

We claim:

1. The method of fabricating a bearing assembly having a supporting member provided with an opening therethrough and a swivel member smaller than said opening mounted within said opening, comprising the steps of: (a) positioning said swivel member within said opening to provide a space between said members, (b) introducing liquefied hardenable bearing material into said space into engagement with both members, and (c) moving said members relative to each other in a direction that alters the shape of said space in a direction generally parallel to the axis of said opening while said bearing material is liquefied and until it hardens.

2. The method of claim I in which one of said members is moved with respect to said bearing material more than with respect to the other member.

3. The method of claim 1 including the step of confining the bearing material in said space by means of said members and relatively movable mold members which are engageable, respectively, with said supporting and swivel members.

4. The method of claim 1 in which said swivel member is ball-shaped and protrudes beyond the opposite ends of said opening, said space being annular in shape and coaxial with respect to said opening, said space having open opposite ends adjacent to the ends, res ectively, of said opening; said relative movement being 0 predetermined excursion and m a direction extending between the ends of said opening.

5. The method of claim 4 including inhibiting movement of said bearing material more with respect to one member than the other.

6. The method of claim 4 including closing each of the opposite ends of said annular space before introducing said liquefied bearing material by means of relatively movable mold devices, one of said mold devices being engaged with said supporting member and the other mold device being engaged with said swivel member.

7. The method of claim 6 in which one of said mold devices and one of said members closes more of the ends of said annular space than does the other mold device and the member engaged therewith.

8. The method of claim 7 in which the opening in said sup port member is defined by a surface part-spherical in shape, said swivel member being substantially spherical, locating said swivel member in said opening such that the center of the outer surface thereof substantially coincides with the center of said part-spherical surface, holding said support member stationary be means of said one mold device, said one mold device having opposed annular mold surfaces at least partially closing said opposite open ends of said annular space, the diameter of said mold surfaces being smaller than the diameter of said swivel member, holding said swivel member in the aforesaid location by means of the other mold device, reciprocating said other mold device in a direction generally parallel to the axis of said opening thereby moving said swivel member with respect to said support member, and terminating said reciprocation after said bearing material hardens.

9. The method of claim 6 in which said bearing material is plastic when introduced into said space at a predetermined pressure, and exhausting plastic from said space in excess of that required to fill the same.

10. The method of claim 9 in which said exhausting step is performed by connecting said space to atmosphere by means of an exhaust runner in at least one of said mold devices.

11. The method of fabricating a bearing assembly comprising the steps of molding a raceway of liquefied bearing material about a swivel member, and moving said swivel member continuously in a predetermined pattern which is generally rectilinear during hardening of the bearing material.

12. The method of claim 11 in which said swivel member is ballshaped, said movement and said predetermined pattern being reciprocal.

13. The method of claim 11 in which said raceway is molded with opposed coaxial openings and said pattern is in a direction extending from one opening toward the other. 

1. The method of fabricating a bearing assembly having a supporting member provided with an opening therethrough and a swivel member smaller than said opening mounted within said opening, comprising the steps of: (a) positioning said swivel member within said opening to provide a space between said members, (b) introducing liquefied hardenable bearing material into said space into engagement with both members, and (c) moving said members relative to each other in a direction that alters the shape of said space in a direction generally parallel to the axis of said opening while said bearing material is liquefied and until it hardens.
 2. The method of claim 1 in which one of said members is moved with respect to said bearing material more than with respect to the other member.
 3. The method of claim 1 including the step of confining the bearing material in said space by means of said members and relatively movable mold members which are engageable, respectively, with said supporting and swivel members.
 4. The method of claim 1 in which said swivel member is ball-shaped and protrudes beyond the opposite ends of said opening, said space being annular in shape and coaxial with respect to said opening, said space having open opposite ends adjacent to the ends, respectively, of said opening; said relative movement being of predetermined excursion and in a direction extending between the ends of said opening.
 5. The method of claim 4 including inhibiting movement of said bearing material more with respect to one member than the other.
 6. The method of claim 4 including closing each of the opposite ends of said annular space before introducing said liquefied bearing material by means of relatively movable mold devices, one of said mold devices being engaged with said supporting member and the other mold device being engaged with said swivel member.
 7. The method of claim 6 in which one of said mold devices and one of said members closes more of the ends of said annular space than does the other mold device and the member engaged therewith.
 8. The method of claim 7 in which the opening in said support member is defined by a surface part-spherical in shape, said swivel member being substantially spherical, locating said swivel member in said opening such that the center of the outer surface thereof substantially coincides with the center of said part-spherical surface, holding said support member stationary be means of said one mold device, said one mold device having opposed annular mold surfaces at least partially closing said opposite open ends of said annular space, the diameter of said mold surfaces being smaller than the diameter of said swivel member, holding said swivel member in the aforesaid location by means of the other mold device, reciprocating said other mold device in a direction generally parallel to the axis Of said opening thereby moving said swivel member with respect to said support member, and terminating said reciprocation after said bearing material hardens.
 9. The method of claim 6 in which said bearing material is plastic when introduced into said space at a predetermined pressure, and exhausting plastic from said space in excess of that required to fill the same.
 10. The method of claim 9 in which said exhausting step is performed by connecting said space to atmosphere by means of an exhaust runner in at least one of said mold devices.
 11. The method of fabricating a bearing assembly comprising the steps of molding a raceway of liquefied bearing material about a swivel member, and moving said swivel member continuously in a predetermined pattern which is generally rectilinear during hardening of the bearing material.
 12. The method of claim 11 in which said swivel member is ball-shaped, said movement and said predetermined pattern being reciprocal.
 13. The method of claim 11 in which said raceway is molded with opposed coaxial openings and said pattern is in a direction extending from one opening toward the other. 